


My Precious Treasure

by Kyarorain



Category: AI: The Somnium Files (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-07 22:30:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21225275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyarorain/pseuds/Kyarorain
Summary: Hitomi and Iris pay a visit to Manaka's grave.





	My Precious Treasure

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Fictober prompt "Treasure".

It had been a week since the day Iris was kidnapped and a serial killer attempted to take her life, along with that of her mother. Hitomi had decided to visit the resting place of her dear friend and bring Iris along with her. Now they stood side by side before the grave marker, marked with the family name “Iwai”. 

“I don’t think you or Mr. Okiura ever mentioned her before.” Iris looked at her mother. “Did it make you too sad to talk about her?"

"I suppose so." That, and Hitomi had other reasons for keeping quiet about Manaka. She wouldn't have wanted Iris getting too curious. What if she had asked to see pictures? "Poor Manaka was only nineteen when she died."

"Nineteen," Iris repeated. "So, not much older than me then."

"That's right. She was the same age as me and Renju." Hitomi closed her eyes, thinking back to the days of high school. She pictured Manaka smiling and laughing. "It was such a shock to lose her so suddenly."

"Was she... murdered?" Iris's voice grew quiet.

Hitomi glanced at Iris in surprise. Iris was staring down at her feet, clenching her fists. Ideally, she would have liked to protect Iris from the cruel truth, but she couldn't do that. Her daughter needed to know everything. "Yes, but how did you guess?"

"It was him, wasn't it?" Iris looked at Hitomi, her expression hardening. "That horrible man who pretended to be Uncle and kidnapped me. He murdered her, didn't her?"

"Yes." Hitomi's mouth grew dry. "Saito Sejima. He was only a boy back then. Just 12 years old. I couldn't believe it when I heard. Did he say something to you?"

Iris looked at the gravestone again, wrapping her arms around her trembling body. "That monster," she spat out.

Hitomi gazed at her daughter, wondering just what she might have learned. The thought that someone might have beaten her to telling Iris the truth made her physically ill. It was Hitomi's place to do so and nobody else's. For years, Hitomi had been torn, deliberating over telling Iris or not. It didn't seem right to keep her in the dark forever, but a crippling fear had always held her back.

Now, with Manaka's death out in the open, Hitomi felt she could no longer keep it a secret. The time was right to tell her. She took a deep breath and tried to speak, but her throat felt like it was closing. "Iris," she choked out. "There's something I have to tell you."

"It's okay, Mom." Iris smiled gently at her. "I think I know what you're going to say."

Hitomi's eyes grew wide. "You do?"

"I've got it figured out more or less. When Uncle said he saw my dead body and it vanished, I assumed he saw a parallel universe but that was just the brain tumour making me think silly stuff, wasn't it?" Iris let out an awkward laugh. "I can't wait to get that surgery."

It wouldn't be too long now. Thanks to the woman they called Boss and her blackmailing techniques, Iris's surgery was going to be paid for. Now they waited with bated breath to hear when the surgery would take place. 

"Anyway, Uncle saw someone who looked just like me. The body must have been moved so that's why he thought it disappeared, right?"

"Yes. That's right." Hitomi had done that herself, placing Manaka back in the forklift bed where she had rested for eighteen years until the day she finally found herself in the hands of the police. Now she had been cremated and buried in the family plot. It was honestly a relief that Manaka had been properly laid to rest at last. Storing her in that warehouse all those years had never felt right.

"And there was that thing Saito Sejima said to me after he took me to the factory. He told me I looked so much like his first victim, but he didn't say who she was. It was Manaka, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Hitomi exhaled, her body relaxing. She turned her gaze back to the grave marker, feeling the back of her eyes sting. In a shaky voice, she spoke further. "Now you know. That I'm... not your real mother."

"So what?" Iris turned around and took a step closer to her mother, looking fierce. "You are still my mom. You are the only mom I have ever known and I love you. The fact you weren't the one who give birth to me doesn't matter at all!"

Hitomi turned to face Iris. "Iris..." She was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. Iris buried her face in Hitomi's shoulder, wrapping her arms firmly around her body. 

"I don't care what the truth is. You are the one who raised me for all these years. You are my mom and that's all that matters." Iris's voice shook. "So don't worry about it anymore, okay, Mom? I know now, and I'm not upset at all. I'm lucky to have had such a wonderful mother like you."

"Iris. Oh, I'm so glad." Hitomi moved her arm up, resting a hand on Iris's back. "I love you so much. Ever since the day I decided to take care of you, I have always loved you. You are my precious treasure and I really couldn't imagine life without you."

They eventually pulled apart. Both of them had tears running down their cheeks. Iris reached up to wipe her face.

"When we get home, will you show me pictures of her?"

"Of course."

"And I want to hear all your stories about her too."

"Absolutely. I'll tell you as much as I can."

"Great." Iris clapped her hands together, smiling broadly. "Hmm, I suppose I should say something to her now. Here goes." She took a breath and then knelt down before the grave. "Hello, Manaka. It's okay to call you that, isn't it? It doesn't really feel right to call you Mom. I hope you don't mind." 

A long silence followed in which Iris solemnly gazed at the gravestone. "It's sad to think about what happened to you. I'm so sorry you had to die in such a horrible way. If you hadn't died, my life would have been so different. I might not even be an idol."

Iris briefly looked up at her mother, flashing her a smile. "But, here we are. I have had a very happy life and Mom has been a wonderful mother to me. That must be a relief, huh? You couldn't have known you were going to leave me so suddenly. Anyway, I'm going to be hearing all about you from Mom. I'm going to get to know you as much as I can and I'll come and visit you sometimes too." She looked at Hitomi again and nodded.

"Well, Manaka," Hitomi said as she knelt down. "Here we are. You're finally at rest with a proper burial. I'm so sorry about having to keep you in that warehouse, but we had no choice. I'm sure you understand. We had to keep Iris safe after all."

Hitomi reached out and took Iris's hand. "Iris is so precious to me. I have always loved her as much as you would have. Sometimes I think about how things would be if you hadn't died. As happy as I am to have had Iris with me, it's still a shame you couldn't have been there. You were a wonderful friend and I miss you. I'll continue to take care of Iris in your place."

They fell silent, just looking at the gravestone as they held hands. 

"I wonder if she's been watching us this whole time," Iris said finally, looking at her mother. "I'm sure she's very happy with the good job you've done taking care of me."

A smile formed on Hitomi's face as she met Iris's gaze. "I hope so. Now then, I think it's about time we went home. Are you ready to go?" Iris responded with a nod. 

As they stood up, Hitomi looked at the gravestone one last time. "Manaka, we're going now. I'll be visiting you again as soon as I can. Goodbye."

"Bye bye, Manaka." Iris raised a hand in farewell. "See you again soon."

Hitomi and Iris linked hands, exchanging a smile before walking away from the grave. 


End file.
